There must be something in the water down in Atlanta that inspires an outpouring of creativity that rejuvenates the hip-hop world every couple of years. While Cee-Lo’s new track, Fuck You, featured at the top of this post may sound more like a pop record than the conventional hip-hop sound we’re used to, you must remember that Cee-Lo’s musical roots are grounded in the legendary Southern hip-hop group Goodie Mob.  While his musical projects in recent years have been on the experimental end of the musical spectrum, he’s still a hip-hop icon.

After one listen to Cee-Lo’s new masterpiece, the first thought that crossed my mind was that Cee-Lo just pulled an Andre 3000 on us. His ability to flip an antiqued sound that, if not for lyrical matter, one might mistake for a record that was made 50 years ago draws strong similarities to what Andre did back in 2003 when he (or collectively Outkast if you want to get technical about it) released the song Hey Ya.

I remember hearing Hey Ya for the first time right before heading to a DJ gig at Ohio University. I was fascinated by the record and knew that even during a time when my record crates were filled with the latest offerings from Lil Jon and others embracing the crunk music sound– Hey Ya was still going to be a hit. I debuted the record the very same night to a crowd that was equally enchanted by the sound and by the end of the night had probably spun it 10 times over 4 hours, driving the crowd into a frenzy each time. Shortly thereafter the rest of the world discovered the brilliance of Hey Ya and my Mom started calling me to hook her up with “that Outkast song.”

The difference between Fuck You and Hey Ya is their ability (or lack thereof) to be commercially exploited. While Hey Ya became a staple of every radio station, television show and award program, Fuck You won’t receive any of that exposure. Sure, Cee-Lo could always remake the track with a radio edit and tone down the lyrics, but that would severely take away from the brilliance of the song. It’s the unexpected structure of the song that makes it so captivating. When one encounters a title like “Fuck You”, they anticipate something dark and angry.  I’m sure Cee-Lo took this into consideration when making this record, which adds to the sheer brilliance of the composition.

What I believe will come from Cee-Lo’s latest release will be a great answer to those who have asked the question; how big can the Internet make a song? As I’m writing this, the Youtube video for the track stands at nearly 1.3 million views in 4 days. Impressive, but by viral video standards, it’s no Bed Intruder Song…yet. And let’s not get the two concepts completely intertwined. It’s one thing for a funny video to be passed around from friend to friend, co-worker to co-worker, etc but it takes a truly remarkable song to conquer those same demographic barriers. It will be exciting to see how the world embraces this record and whether or not it can be embraced by the mainstream the way Hey Ya was received.  Outkast’s album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below won Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards thanks in part to the strength of Hey Ya. Will they show Cee-Lo the same sort of love for Fuck You?

As we get ready to wrap up 2007 I’ll be reviewing some notable moments in hip-hop that I feel need to be documented (I know, this is kind of played out at this point, but I’m doing it anyway). As if it really needs to be stated…2007 wasn’t a great year for lyrical rappers. Sure, the usual suspects were dropping gems (usually on someone else’s track), but there’s also a lot of names missing that you can always count on for at least one notable verse each year even if they don’t deliver their own product (I’m talkin’ to you Joe Budden). So this task was a little harder than I expected it to be. While some were automatic, I really had to dig through the crates (of mp3s) to remind myself of what dropped this year, but I think what I’ve come up with is on point and if you care to disagree…that’s what the comment section is for.

5. The Game on “A Bay Bay Remix” (from Hurricane Chris’s 51/50 Ratchet)
You wouldn’t really expect to find a lyrical gem on “A Bay Bay”. I’m riding for ‘Cane and think this was definitely one of the best club bangers to drop all year, but you’re not going to find the kid mentioned with Rakim, Nas, etc anytime soon. The Game, on the other hand, is one of those MCs that can sneak up on you with his lyrical tenacity and set fire to an otherwise production & hook driven track. On here he breaks bread with his southern counter-parts by working in various references to hit southern records and giving all southern MCs some ammo against anyone hating on their success. This was definitely the standout verse to an otherwise under-whelming and overloaded remix.

You can find me in tha a bay bay
Buckin full of cry-stale V.I.Ped up
Goin hard in body tap where they throw that cheeze up
I been about my paper niggas know about my stack
You dont like that dirty money send yo girl to wipe me down
Million dollars on my neck and wrist shine for a mile
She wanna see it up close then she gotta walk it out
Im tha king of this rap shit what the fuck they talkin bout
Niggas cant sell records so they blame it on tha South
I be all through Shreve-port Louisiana ballin
Like who the fuck said aint no choppers in New Orleans
My rims so clean they spinnin like a world-wind
Pull up at the club bitches textin they girlfriends
They know who i is they know who i am
I be flyin through the south in that burgundy land
Pull up at the light my shit so bright
She want my number shit call me tonight
Pick up the phone like

4. Common on “Start the Show” Verse 1 (from the album Finding Forever)

I’ve been kind of divided when it comes to my feelings on Common in recent years. He’s proven himself as a great MC and will always be mentioned with those bringing something “positive” to hip-hop, but at times I’ve felt his albums were overrated, redundant in sound and he starts to border on doing too much preaching. And then I remember that deep down inside, Common is a battle rapper, capable of stepping up to any lyricist in the game and will take the gloves off when necessary (although this doesn’t appear to be his prerogative these days). So when he jumped off the Finding Forever album with this track, I was definitely impressed with Common’s subtle jabs at the current hip-hop industry as a whole. This track echoed the same sentiments throughout, but I chose this verse in particular because of the “Young Who?” line, something I can relate to as I’m already writing off any new rappers being presented to me with Lil or Young in their name due to lack of originality.

Ladies and gentlemen the C-O-double-M-O-N
Synonym for fresh, truth is the emb-lem
Hardcore since I was next door to Clem and them
Cold as the winter when fake niggaz was shiverin
Shakin in they Timberlands, you was played as Bennigans
Hot for a minute, now you just a “remember him”
I been a +Master+ since P was No Limit-in
Stick a sayin, no gimmick and no mimickin
Q infinitin down old blocks are bendin in
Yellin (Fuck Tha Police) like Ren and them
Pelican brief these niggaz on who I be
Before the paper and the fame
niggaz knew RashidNoble like Dru Ali -
many have come
but few have been chose to be a true MC
You sing along wit it, inside you knowin it’s wack
Young who? I don’t need a openin act [echoes]

3. Jay-Z on “Rehab (Remix)” (from Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black)

There hasn’t been a year in recent history where Jay didn’t come through with some heat. He was working overtime this year, now that he’s officially given up on that whole retirement thing, by delivering not only a GREAT album, but also putting his stamp on a good variety of remixes and features. I felt like this verse he dropped on “Rehab” had to get the nod for his best work this year because it demonstrates everything about Jay’s lyrical ability that we’ve come to know and love. First, I wouldn’t have expected a rapper to be able to shine on this track. The first remix I heard also included Pharoahe Monch, another artist I’ve got a lot of respect for, but didn’t seem able to catch the rhythm on this one. Jay on the other hand tore the joint to shreds, with clever metaphors and an enthusiastic delivery that was able to help crossover “Rehab” into a track that hip-hop listeners could accept. I don’t know about you, but I’m all for rehabbing myself with Jay’s 12 step program.

More money, more checks,I’m addicted to fresh
Six pair of kicks is my definition of 12 steps
Kick back in the back, get the phantom to drop
Bass blarin outta my system, thats how i detox
O when will he stop, he still pumpin that real sh*t
My flow so dumb, my face is numb, n*gga,i dont feel sh*t
Wheres a therapist? Yea I’m outta control
They tryna make me go to rehab, I won’t go, no
And so I’m addicted,
I’m Britney, Whitney, and Bobby
Betty Ford ain’t ready for it, ain’t nothin can stop me
O look he’s collapsin, just look how he’s rappin
Everytime I try to get out it pulls me back in
Amy should have rehab’d him,’stead she doubled his ration
Can you blame me for being a slave to my passion
My heron flows more deeper than marilyns nose
I’ma o.d. till I’m in peace like Anna Nicole, hov!

2. Kanye West on “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” Verse 2 (from the Graduation album)

I was honestly shocked when this dropped as the lead single for the Graduation album. It broke all the rules pertaining to how you’re “supposed” to release your singles. You might not always deliver your biggest club banger as your leadoff, but usually want to go with something that can at least be played in the club. The only time you heard “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” in the club was when the lights came on and security was booting everybody out the door. But this song still broke out with a vengeance and had everybody (trying) to spit every verse word for word when it came on. Little did we know that Kanye could get away with putting this mellow track out as a teaser, as he had plenty up his sleeve to ensure he’d dominate the charts in 2007.

Let up the suicide doors.
This is my life homey, you decide yours.
I know Jesus died for us,
But I couldn’t tell you who decide wars.
So I parallel double parked that motherfucker sideways
Old folks talking bout back in my day
But homey this is my day.
Class started 2 hours ago,oh am I late?
You know I already graduated
And you can live through anything if Magic made it.
They say I talk with so much emphasis,
OOOO they’re so sensative.
Don’t ever fix your lips like collagen
Say something were you gone end up apologising.
Let me know if it’s a problem man,
Alright man, holla then.

1. Andre 3000 on “What a Job” (from Devin the Dude’s Waitin’ to Inhale)

For the second year in a row Andre 3 Stacks was the one showing everybody else how you stay relevant as you become a veteran to the hip-hop game. While he didn’t surprise us as much with unexpected remixes and features like he did last year, his buzz certainly carried over into 2007. I actually got a sneak peek of this one back in January at the Rap-A-Lot offices, but at the time didn’t get to hear the brilliance of the verse Andre delivered for an album that was unparalleled and still in heavy rotation with me. There’s not many MCs that are going to convince people to stop stealing their music. The common philosophy that people have when it comes to illegally downloading hip-hop is “How you gonna tell me not to download your music, when all you’re talking about is how much money you got?” Fair enough. But somehow when Andre puts it in perspective, it starts to make sense and while it probably didn’t do much to curb piracy- at least he’s presenting listeners with a valid reason not to do it. And that’s just referencing his first couple of bars, when combined with everything else he had to say, Devin’s blissful hook and the overall vibe of the entire track you’ve got the easy pick for the standout verse of year in hip-hop.

We work nights, we some vampires
Niggas gather round the beat like a campfire
Singin’ folk songs, but not no Kumbaya my Lord
You download it for free, we get charged back for it
I know you’re saying, they won’t know they won’t miss it
Besides, I ain’t a thief, they won’t pay me a visit
So if I come to your job, take your corn on the cob
And take a couple kernels off it that would be alright with you
Hell no! Yeah, exactamundo
But we just keep recording and it ain’t to get no condo
And Candy Bentley fanny with no panties in Miami
And that cute lil’ chick named Tammy that you took to the Grammys
See we do it for that boi that graduated
That looked you in your eyes real tough and said ‘preciate it
And that he wouldn’ta made it if it wasn’t for your CD number 9
And he’s standing with his baby momma Kiki and she cryin’ talkinbout
That they used to get high to me in high school
And they used to make love to me in college
Then they told me ’bout they first date, listenin’ to my tunes
And how he, like to finger nail polish
I say hate to cut you off but I gotta go
I wish you could tell me mo’ but I’m off to the studio, gotta write tonight
Hey, can you put us in your raps? I don’t see why not
Devin it’s the Dude you gon’ probably hear him talking ’bout

***DISCLAIMER: All lyric transcriptions were stolen from other sites (that are also stealing them in most cases) and I’m not guaranteeing the accuracy of these lyrics and not taking the time to check them myself.****